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Join the NPS on Paddling Trips

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the establishment of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, the public is invited to join National Park Service (NPS) staff on three public paddles on different stretches of the Riverway.

The public paddles are scheduled for the following dates, times, and locations.

Sunday, June 1, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., from Earl Landing to Trego on the Namekagon River

Saturday, June 7, 9:00 a.m. to noon, from Soderbeck Landing to Highway 70 on the St. Croix River

Tuesday, June 10, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. from Osceola Landing to William O’Brien State Park on the St. Croix River

Reservations are not required. Paddlers interested in participating should be at the specified starting point at least 15 minutes prior to the starting time of the paddle.All paddlers are required to have their own gear and transportation.Check the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway website for outfitter information and river section maps that indicate landing locations. Anyone younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

In association with the paddle trips, the following activities will be offered.

On Sunday, June 1, the Namekagon River Visitor Center in Trego, Wisconsin, will remain open until 8:00 p.m. The new Riverway film, The St. Croix: A Northwoods Journey, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. The Namekagon River Visitor Center is located on U.S. Highway 63, one half mile east of U.S. Highway 53 in Trego.

On Saturday, June 7, the Marshland Center will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The film will be shown at the top of each hour. There will also be a Junior Ranger Booth at Soderbeck Landing from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Kids ages 8 to 12 canpick up a copy of the new Junior Ranger Activity Booklet and work on completing ten activities to earn a junior ranger badge and certificate.

The Marshland Center is located on Highway 70 where it crosses the St. Croix River, between Pine City, Minnesota, and Grantsburg, Wisconsin, on the Minnesota side of the river. Follow the brown National Park Service signs on Highway 70 east of the St. Croix to find Soderbeck Landing, or pick up a map at the Marshland Center.

On Tuesday, June 10, the film will be shown at 8:45 p.m. at the William O’Brien State Park amphitheatre. There is no charge to attend any of these presentations, but a Minnesota annual vehicle permit or daily permit is needed to enter William O’Brien State Park. The park is located 12 miles north of Stillwater, Minnesota, on State Highway 95, near the town of Marine-on-St. Croix.

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, a unit of the National Park System, was established by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968; it is one of a group of eight rivers in the country which first received this recognition. For 252 miles, the St. Croix River and its tributary, the Namekagon, flow through some of the most scenic and least developed country in the Upper Midwest.